Bottle cap remover and receiver



Feb. 2, 1960 F. J. LUCARELLI BOTTLE CAP REMOVER AND RECEIVER Filed Aug. 26, 1958 INV E N TOR fiazzlJZmare/li ATTORNEYS United States Patent 2,923,188 BOITLE CAP REMOVER AND RECEIVER Frank J. Lucarelli, Middleborough, Md. Application August 26 1958, Serial No. 757,386

2 Claims. 01. 81- 33) This invention relates to a bottle decapper, more particularly to a bottle decapper that ensures that the cap is removed from the bottle and dropped into a storage In establishments selling beverages over the counter, packaged in bottles having the conventional crown cap, it is unusual to decap the bottle as it is sold over the counter and the caps retained as a count against the money representing the total sales for a period, such as the day. If the owner of the establishment wishes to rely upon the number of caps from the beverage sold as a tally against the amount of money taken in for the sale of such beverage, the conventional bottle decapper is not reliable inasmuch as the caps may be lost. In known devices where a bottle decapper is provided with a bin below it to catch the caps, there is no assurance that all the caps will go in the bin or, furthermore, in the event of a dishonest employee, some of the caps may be removed from the bin and disposed of, so that the count or tally of the bottle caps and the money obtained does not coincide.

It is an object of this invention to provide a bottle decapper which ensures the removal of the bottle cap and such bottle caps dropping into a bin and retained.

It is another object of this invention to provide a bottle decapper into which the bottle to be decapped may be inserted and operated in the conventional manner, but in which the bottle cap may not be sprung without being fully removed from the bottle.

It is another object of this invention to provide a bottle decapper in which the bottle decapping device and the collection bin are totally enclosed to prevent the removal of caps from the bin.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a bottle decapper having the foregoing characteristics which will be eflicient in use, durable, and which can be manufactured for a reasonable cost.

Further and other objects will be apparent from the description of the accompanying drawings in which like numerals refer to like parts.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is front view of the box containing the bottle decapping mechanism;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the lines 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the portion of the box cover containing the holes through which the bottle is inserted;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the cover of the box as viewed from inside the box cover.

By way of illustrating one embodiment of this invention, the drawings show a bottle cap remover and bottle cap counter comprising box 1 having a cover 2. The cover 2 is hinged to the box 1 at 3 and a locking mechanism 4 is provided which may be a built-in lock or a hasp through which a padlock can be placed.

Within the box 1, a bin 5 is provided substantially filling the space in the lower portion of the box or sub- 2,923,188 Fatented Feb. 2, 1960 capping device may be of any of other conventional forms wherein a capped bottle is inserted against a stop 8 and the edge of the cap engaged by an overhanging hook portion 9 which is arcuate in shape of a greater radius of curvature than the radius of the bottle cap to ensure that the hook portion 9 will engage the cap of a bottle around its periphery and pry it up from the rim on the edge of the conventional bottle.

Cover member 2 is provided with an enlarged aperture 10 somewhat larger than the neck of the bottle and cap. A heavy rubber diaphragm 11 having an aperture 12 approximately the same size as a conventional crown cap is concentrically arranged with respect to aperture 10. Rubber diaphragm 11 has a reinforcing member 13 secured around aperture 12. Reinforcing member 13 may be molded integrally to reinforce the edge of aperture 12 or it may be a molded rubber ring or sheet of rubber secured around aperture 12 or it may be a ring of hard rubber, plastic or even metal.

As shown in Figure 3, rubber diaphragm 11 is backed on the side opposite from the cover 2 with a metal plate 14 formed with fingers 15 radiating from aperture 12. Plate 14 may be vulcanized or otherwise secured to diaphragm 11. Each of fingers 15, extending inwardly toward aperture 12, is formed at the end around aperture 12 with hook portions 16. Fingers 15 are resilient and bent inwardly as shown in Figure 2 as the rubber is distended when the neck of the bottle and cap are inserted or when the bottle is moved downwardly in the operation of the decapping of the bottle.

A backing ring 17 extends around diaphragm 11 to reinforce the assembly which is secured together by any means such as rivets 18.

From the description of the foregoing embodiment of the invention it will be seen that an enclosed bottle decapper is provided with a resilient member having an aperture formed therein substantially the same diameter as the diameter of the bottle neck and cap, through which the bottle and cap can be inserted until the cap touches stop 8. A downward motion of the bottle in the conventional manner will cause the cap to engage hook portion 9 of the bottle decapper which will loosen the cap from the bottle and as the bottle is withdrawn, the cap will fall into bin 5. If, however, an eifort is made to merely crack the cap or merely loosen it from the rim on the neck of the bottle in an attempt to withdraw it through the rubber diaphragm without depositing the cap in the bin, the cap is engaged by means asso ciated with the rubber diaphragm 11, such as by one or more of the ends 16 of fingers 15 which ensures that the cap will remain inside the device as the bottle is Withdrawn. In some instances, the reinforced rubber lip on the diaphragm will be sufficient to ensure that the cap will not be withdrawn through the hole in the rubber diaphragm. However, in the event that the cap is merely loosened but not completely detached from the top of the bottle, fingers 15 having end portions 16 adapted to engage the crown cap will preclude the cap from returning through the hole or aperture 12.

In one of the embodiments described above, fingers 15 having end portions 16 are separate from diaphragm 11. It is to be understood that they may be molded into the rubber diaphragm as part of the reinforcing around aperture 12 so as to make an integral diaphragm through which the neck of the bottle and cap can be inserted but through which the cap cannot be withdrawn.

It is to be understood that the embodiments shown J are illustrative of the principal operation of the bottle decapping device which ensures an accurate count of the number of bottles decapped and that certain changes, alterations, modifications or substitutions can be made inthe structure ofthedevice without departing-from the spirit and scopeof the claims.

Tclaim:

1. A device for removing and receiving bottle capsof the crown type comprising a-box, one face-of saidbox formed with an aperture, a resilient diaphragm covering said aperture having a hole formed therein of-a size to permit the insertion of a capped bottle, a bottle cap removing device; positionedwithin said box opposite the hole in said diaphragm, and a plurality of resilient fingers extending inwardly toward the aperture in said diaphragm to-retain=the cap within said-box when removedtfrom said bottle.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said 6 fingers have the ends thereof adjacent the aperture in said diaphragm formed with portions bent inwardly of said aperture.

References Cited in the'file of this patent UNITED 'STATES PATENTS Finley Sept. 7, 1955 

